Benfica 4-0 Atlético (2 Oct, 2024) Game Analysis - ESPN (UK)

Revised: October 2, 2024, at 11:14 PM

On Wednesday, Benfica launched their Champions League campaign with two back-to-back victories by dominating Atlético Madrid with a convincing 4-0 scoreline. Kerem Akturkoglu, Angel Di Maria, Alexander Bah, and Orkun Kokcu all found the back of the net for Benfica.

A defensive blunder by Atlético allowed Akturkoglu to score the first goal in the 13th minute. Later, another mistake led to a penalty kick that Di Maria successfully converted.

Bah increased Benfica's advantage with a header from a corner kick in the 75th minute, and Kokcu sealed the victory against Diego Simeone's team by scoring from the penalty spot after Reinildo Mandava committed a foul on substitute Zewki Amdouni.

"It's really disappointing to lose in this manner; it reflects poorly on us, and there's not much else to add. Simply put, we didn't perform well today," Oblak said in an interview with Spanish television network Movistar Plus.

Occasionally, situations like this occur in games, but we can't justify it since we performed poorly today. Unfortunately, I don't have anything good to mention about our performance.

"We didn’t make it, and there’s really not much else to add. Everyone experienced what unfolded today, so we need to acknowledge it and keep pushing ahead."

With a packed Estadio da Luz cheering them on, Benfica quickly put pressure on Atlético. A series of mistakes from the opposition gave Fredrik Aursnes the chance to seize a loose ball, setting up Akturkoglu to find the net first against the advancing Oblak.

After halftime, Simeone brought on three new players, but Benfica seized control of the match and increased their advantage when Di Maria scored from the penalty spot due to a blunder by defender Nahuel Molina.

Benfica missed multiple opportunities before Bah netted the third goal with a simple header from a corner, as Conor Gallagher failed to mark him inside the six-yard box.

Kokcu scored the fourth goal from the penalty spot after Zewki Amdouni, who had just come on as a substitute, was brought down by Reinildo Mandava. Oblak made several impressive saves towards the end of the match, preventing Atlético from suffering an even bigger defeat.